There are so many things teenagers have going for them. They are young, strong, and have their whole lives ahead of them. Yet, they have many factors that cause great strife in their lives at the same time. Even though society has advanced tremendously, teens have face the same problems for centuries. Grief, depression, suicide, addictions, and many, many more. It shouldn't come as a surprise that they struggle with these things knowing that we have a sin nature. But when these types of things hit in your own home it has the possibility of shaking your foundation to the core.
Our youth ministry is dedicated to be a help for teens and their families dealing with crises. Many of our volunteers have already helped in troubled times as they are carried along by the Holy Spirit's guidance. No one knows the right thing to say or the right thing to do, but most the time just being there and being a listening ear can be the best thing to someone going through a difficult time.
Right now, we are going through a series called "Emergency Response." It is based on a little book by Group Publishing called Group's Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministry. I have done this once before. When I did it before it was because there were many things our teens were dealing with at the time. What I noticed was our teens were ministering to each other. They were carrying huge burdens for someone else. They knew way before our volunteer leadership team knew, I knew as their youth pastor, or even parents knew. I used the book at the time to put into the hands of every high school student in our youth ministry so they knew Scripture they could use, things they could do, things to say or not say and, most importantly, when to refer to an adult. Many teens care for other teens, but they lack the wisdom needed from a caring adult to counsel youth in trouble.
If your household is going through a difficult time, just know we are here to help. There are resources available to help as well. God is always there even when He feels distant because of your circumstances. He will get you through it.
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